Cyclone Garance, a category 3 cyclone carrying gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour winds, was on Friday deemed a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean island La Reunion, placing it under "purple alert",

The Indian Ocean tourist meccas of Mauritius and La Reunion braced Thursday for an intense tropical storm, Cyclone Garance, which was labelled a "direct threat" to the islands. Mauritius shut its main airport the previous day, while the nearby French island of La Reunion was set to do the same on Thursday.

Residents of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion were ordered Friday to stay indoors as a cyclone bore down that authorities said could bring gusts of 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph) and sea swells more than eight metres (26 feet) high.

Residents of the Indian Ocean islands Mauritius and La Reunion rushed to stockpile essential items on Thursday, as Cyclone Garance approached the two territories. The storm, which is expected to pass 50 kilometers from La Reunion's shores,

Mauritius International Airport has been closed following a class 3 cyclone alert as Cyclone Garance approaches the island.